How Much Do Guitar Strings Cost?

Musicians often have it tough when it comes to expenditure. Playing guitar, or any instrument in fact can be a really expensive hobby, and even more expensive if you do it professionally. New strings are just one of the expenses you may have to deal with from time to time, and depending on which strings you buy this could be quite a common expense, so it is important to know how much guitar strings cost and what you can get for your money.

Of course, as with any product, there are different ranges that will cost different amounts of money. How much you will spend on your strings depends on factors such as their quality, whether they have a coating, how durable they are and the brand that have produced them. The price of strings does vary, but this article is designed to guide you through the costs.

Budget Guitar Strings

In many ways, you get what you pay for, and most budget guitar strings aren’t going to do you an amazing job, but for a lot of amateurs and beginners they’re absolutely fine. There aren’t many budget brands as such, just budget versions within the brands we have come to know, such as Martin, D’Addario and Ernie Ball. These acoustic strings are an example of what you can get under $5 – make sure you shop around to get the best price.

More Expensive Strings

If you’re going to spend a bit more on your strings, for example if you’re recording or playing out live at an important gig and think it is worth the investment in your sound, you’re probably still only looking at $15-20, which isn’t too bad. For this, you can get some lovely coated strings with a beautiful tone, and though they may be built for sound rather than longevity they are not going to cost you the earth. Here is an example of what you can get for your money.

A real premium brand designed for acoustic guitarists, intricately made and exceptionally reviewed, this is a real luxury string.

Paying Somebody to Restring Your Guitar

This is an option for the less technically inclined, you can pay somebody working in a music shop to replace your strings for you, in this case it is going to cost you the price of your guitar strings plus labor. Most shops will charge you no more than $20 or around £15 if you’re in the UK (like me). You can learn how to do it yourself and in the long term it will save you money, but this is an option if you have money to burn.

Conclusion

To summarize, you shouldn’t often be paying more than $20 too often for strings unless you have an unusual instrument or a 12-stringed guitar, but nobody should base their purchase when it comes to guitar strings purely on the price, and the sound is much more important, you may find that your favorite strings are one of the cheapest you can buy, and who is to say that they are not the best sound for your music? It is all about experimenting to find your own sound, regardless of price.